Students May Pay Out of Pocket for School

The state's 100% Bright Futures scholarships won't be paying for all of a student's tuition and fees anymore. It's the latest struggle between rising tuition costs and a decrease in state revenue.

UF's tuition and fees for the 2008 to 2009 school year were slightly lower than $119 per credit hour for students with the 100% scholarship. Now, it will increase to $127.61. The Bright Futures payment will increase from just under $119 dollars to $126 dollars. Students will now pay an additional one dollar 61 cents per credit hour.

"The 126 is for some students pretty close to what their tuition will be. For others because of the tuition differential, it will be somewhat less, somewhere between 3 to 400 dollars more than they've paid in the past," says UF Financial Aid Director Karen Fooks.

Fooks says UF does offer it's own scholarships and has a work study program. Students can also apply for grants and federal loans to relieve some pressures for paying out of pocket.